England boss Gareth Southgate and captain Harry Kane preview their UEFA Euro 2024 clash with Slovakia
29/06/2024
UEFA24
Arena Auf Schalke, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
29/06/2024
UEFA24
Arena Auf Schalke, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Hi Gareth, hi Harry, Rob Dorsett from Sky Sports News. If I can do a quick one to each
00:08of you that would be great. Gareth first, England's performances in the group stages
00:12have been analysed to death, but this is the start of the knockout stages now, so I wonder
00:16whether you start afresh, you turn a page, and whether it feels to you like the real
00:20business starts now and maybe you've seen the intensity level amongst the players kind
00:24of increase in the last day or so? Yeah I would say yes, of course you have to get through
00:31that first phase and there are moments within that where always in that second game if you
00:39keep pushing you can lose a game and if you get a point you know you're through, so that
00:44affects some of the actions at certain moments and now you're into that world of it has to
00:54happen on the day, you've got to go for it. We've been here before many times, we know
01:01what it entails, I think everybody's excited now about the challenge and we know we play
01:07a very good opponent and so we have to be right on our game with and without the ball
01:14and we know that some parts of our game we've executed well and some we need to do better,
01:21but I've seen a lot of signs within the game against Slovenia and since then that that's
01:27starting to come so yeah I'm excited about the game tomorrow. Harry we've been looking at your
01:37stats, six goals in your last six knockout games for England and those would suggest this is when
01:44you come alive, does something change inside you? I'm not too sure I think it's kind of the process
01:51of the tournament as well I think naturally you get physically stronger, naturally you get
01:57sharper as you play more games so we've had three games in a short space of time so I feel like not
02:03just for me but a lot of the players come into their peak sharpness at the knockout stage and
02:07and that's what I've found in especially recent tournaments as well so yeah being the strike in
02:16the team obviously I want to score goals and help the team get through to the next round but yeah
02:22if it's not me who scores and we get through anyway I'm not going to complain but yeah it
02:27could be down to just the sharpness aspect of it but ultimately I enjoy these games I think
02:32yeah knockout football is a different prospect to group stage and we've handled that well
02:39in the past and now it's time to do that again.
02:44Hello Harry, what are your thoughts of Slovakian squad and what do you expect
02:54from them in tomorrow's game? Thank you. Yeah I think they've got some well they have some
03:00great players I think their biggest aspect is them as a team I think they like to press
03:05high with a lot of intensity and make it difficult for the opponent and then they like to keep
03:10possession they like to play out and use the pivot to control the game so yeah it's going to be
03:16a tough game we're expecting like I say a physical team with a lot of quality so
03:22we're going to have to be ready for that but as always we prepare like we prepare for any team
03:28we always feel like we we're capable of getting the result we want but we know we're going to
03:32have to be on the top of our game to to reach that. James Robson Associated Press, Gareth I
03:42think you've mentioned a couple of times since the other night that you understand what the fans
03:47the way the fans feeling about you I just wonder what you actually what you actually mean by that
03:52because I think before the tournament you said something like you can't keep standing in front
03:57of them with the same message because they don't want to keep hearing it so I just wonder what you
04:01mean by that when you say you understand what the way they feel towards you? To be honest it's
04:06irrelevant the most important thing is the support for the team and what I said the other night was
04:14to try to make sure that we get the sort of support the team got in the stadium in the second half
04:19simple as that my job is to create the best possible environment for the players to fight
04:25their cause at the right times to take responsibility at the right times and
04:32yeah the team need the fans so they should never underestimate what a lift it gives to the team
04:39when they are like they were in the second half against Slovenia and I'm certain going into this
04:46knockout phase they're going to be the same they're going to be right behind the team and
04:50it gives the team such a lift and that's all that matters
04:55Hi Henry Winter World Soccer, Harry question for you if I may what is your message on the back of
05:00what Gareth just said what is your message to the England fans? Thank you. Well I think if I'm
05:06totally honest I think 99% of the fans are behind the team and the manager I think of course
05:11both as a player and as a coach you're going to have times where people voice their opinion and
05:17that's part and parcel of playing for England that's the bottom line but I think like the
05:21boss said there the second half in that game especially was one of the best atmospheres I've
05:25been involved in and it shows how much the fans care about the team care about us trying to win
05:30the game and that's all that matters you know we're a very strong group not just players but
05:36staff as well we know what it's taken to achieve what we've achieved in the last kind of six years
05:44or so or longer and we know it's going to be you know a very tough journey from now until the end
05:50of this tournament if we want to go all the way so that's all that matters is fighting for each
05:54other on the training pitch on the match pitch and that's what we're continuing to do and I
05:59know the fans are behind us with that
06:06Hi Gareth, hi Harry, Gerry Lawton, Daily Star. Massive day tomorrow but 21st birthday is pretty
06:12big for somebody today I was just wondering how you managed to balance Jude's 21st and
06:18the joy that often most people see with the professionalism about preparing for tomorrow's
06:24events? Well we didn't go create a beer out this morning that's for sure so it's also
06:30Eberechiez's birthday today and obviously Phil Foden as another addition to the household as
06:36well in the last few days so there's been a lot to celebrate and good feel about the camp
06:43I think the players have enjoyed some time together not just training you know we had a day
06:49where we were able to get off their feet and not think about football and I think that's
06:54important in a tournament you know you're surrounded by football every conversation can
07:00lean that way and guide that way so I think to have a couple of days where they could play golf
07:05they could play paddle they could do whatever they wanted to do there's no science behind that
07:10there's no data behind that but there's something about enjoyment that you have to remind yourself
07:16and I think that's a crucial part of a team
07:22Hi both good luck tomorrow James Ollie from ESPN just firstly is everybody available to start
07:28tomorrow Gareth? Well Luke wouldn't be available to start but we'll have a chat with the medical
07:34team see whether he can play a part or whether it's you know whether he could do with a little
07:40bit more training first. Everybody else Kieran, Phil Foden all good yeah and at the last two
07:47tournaments the performance level seemed to go up quite significantly in the first knockout round
07:51beating Senegal and obviously beating Germany at Wembley how much confidence can you take from
07:56that and is the reality that nobody will really care about the rights and wrongs of the group
08:00stage if you get it right from here? Well that is the reality and of course we have to deliver it
08:08so but the fact is you go into a different mental state it's everybody knows that knockout football
08:16is jeopardy everybody knows that on a given day an opponent can make it really tough for you
08:23you know that the quality of the opposition left is high and so it changes the mindset it's about
08:30how far can we go you know we're trying to achieve something exceptional but it's a step at a time
08:36and tomorrow is a chance to improve aspects of our game but to show composure at the moments
08:44the game will take us in different directions at different moments and you've got to be able to
08:49respond and react in the right way at all of those moments so yeah we have thrived
08:55in those challenges in the past and we're looking forward to tomorrow.
08:59Hi Gareth, Jack Pitbrook from The Athletic, you've been pretty honest about your assessment of
09:05performances in the group stage games are you thinking more about small tweaks from that at
09:09the moment or more fundamental changes? Well I think a team is never quite as poor as people
09:19might think and never quite as good as people might think you're probably about five percent
09:24where you'd like to be and therefore you've got to be very careful not to throw everything out
09:30the window and lose things that you're doing well and lose continuity and the confidence that comes
09:38from players playing together and the understanding that comes from those moments and you have to
09:46ignore external advice and be assured in what you're doing so now equally we've had some players
09:56that have come in and had a big impact from the bench you know our substitutions in all of the
10:02matches have had a big impact and we're mindful that people are pushing for places and we're
10:10all of the matches have had a big impact and we're mindful that people are pushing for places
10:15there's competition we need that strength and depth the squad are very together they're training
10:21well that's pushing the starting team that that's been in place but also the other players have to
10:29be ready tomorrow you could you might need five six changes it's over half the team now so
10:34um that that's really really important and uh for us it's it's important that
10:41when players come on they perform as the guys did the other night
10:48hi gareth i repeat a speech germany we hope not but what would it mean for you personally as the
10:55english manager and also for the english football if it goes wrong tomorrow night in terms of the
11:01future i'm not sure why we would think about it going wrong the night before a game so uh
11:10yeah we're we know it's a tough opponent we know we have to play very very well
11:15they're a well-coached team they have a good spirit they run a lot um and they play well
11:22so you know we have to give a very good version of ourselves to win the game simple as that
11:31hello this is pierre from l'équipe um gareth in 1996 you were part of a team
11:38that were not that confident and after the goal famous goal of gaza against scotland
11:44suddenly the dynamics change and i was wondering do you think it could be the same maybe a great
11:50goal could help this team to to get confidence and to fulfill his potential yeah i think confidence
11:59is growing because the players know that a lot of the performance against the venia was a step in
12:06the right direction we we have to find more quality in the final third more incisiveness
12:12in the final third but we have the players to do that and that understanding of playing together
12:19and sticking to the plan and making sure that we we show the right level of composure to sustain
12:27attacks when we when we're in those areas of the pitch um all of those things will add to the
12:33performance so of course goals have an a huge impact on individuals and huge impacts on teams
12:39but um it doesn't necessarily have to be just one moment i think you have to keep
12:45showing evidence of what you're doing well and building belief in what you're doing
12:50question for gareth another question about the psychology ahead of a big game like this
12:56what do you say to the players do you just talk about how big and important this game is to so
13:02many people or can it sometimes be better to make sure that the fear of losing doesn't overpower or
13:11the fear of losing doesn't overpower or limit the performance
13:17yeah we we shouldn't have a fear of losing it's about um opportunity you know you're trying to
13:26reach for something that's a challenge and um uh we've lost football matches before and
13:32you wake up the next morning you feel pretty poor about it but life goes on you know so
13:39uh when you're at that point and that you can handle uh the worst that could happen
13:45then you're free to go and try and win the game and um i think with the players we have they've
13:51got great experience of knockout matches i think that's really helpful the senior players
13:58have shown great leadership through this whole tournament they're passing on their experiences
14:04to the players that haven't been involved in a tournament before and as a group they're they're
14:10you know mixing bonding understanding each other better the more time you spend with people the
14:16better you get to know them the more those bonds build and you start to enjoy each other's company
14:23and understand people better so that's part of forming a team and i've liked how i've seen that
14:30over the last few days yeah last couple of questions thank you uh dan rowan bbc gareth
14:38we were asked about juda a little earlier and he said after the slovenia game that he felt
14:42absolutely dead as he put it there were a few concerns about that language maybe he was
14:48struggling with burnout after a very intense season with real madrid a fantastic season but a long one
14:54are you concerned about the impact of the campaign he's had is he
14:58feeling the effects of that have you had to consider resting him or is he in good order
15:04no i think when you're walking off a pitch and you've given everything um you're inevitably
15:10going to feel physically in a certain way and uh perhaps emotionally in a certain way so
15:17he he missed a period towards the end of the season with an ankle injury and then
15:22towards the end of the season he didn't play every game because they were preparing for a
15:26champions league final so um i think he will have benefited from the matches we've had and
15:32then the recovery period in between as as of a number of players really um but of course we've
15:38always got to be mindful of um the quality we have to be able to come into the game the freshness
15:45how freshness might make a difference in in the latter stages of matches um but um yeah i'm not
15:52concerned about where he's at in terms of his his condition at all he's uh um he's obviously
15:59smiling a lot today it's a big day for him and a reminder of his age and uh how well he deals with
16:06all the expectation around him at a remarkably young age you know i i can think of few players
16:13who've had to live in that world and i i can understand that his world is different to
16:19most other 21 year olds that i know so he's dealing with that exceptionally well
16:29um gareth this game is your 99th in charge of england which is an extraordinary statistic
16:35and record in in its own right which i know how proud you are of that um especially in light of
16:41the way you've been treated personally in in recent days but there's an obvious question about
16:46how desperate you are to make it make your century yeah that whatever the total will be a
16:53number you look back on when you finished i got 57 caps i'm proud of every one um but just getting
17:01caps wasn't why i wanted to play for england i wanted to win things i played in the semi-final
17:07i've obviously managed the semi-final and managed in a final so three of the biggest five tournaments
17:14we've ever had i've been fortunate to have been involved in all of them and um yeah tomorrow is
17:21that number is irrelevant to me it's about the team progressing and taking a step forward so um
17:28that might be something when i'm sat later in life but um yeah i'm just desperate to do well
17:34for my country um lead lead this group of players and staff who i absolutely love working with and
17:42think so much of um lead them through another what could be another brilliant night and create
17:49some more memories for our supporters really thank you very much everyone the media hub is
17:56open until half past 10 tonight thank you